First Love, Last Rites

Director:	Jesse Peretz
Writer:	David Ryan
Release:	8/98
Cast:	Natasha Gregson Wagner, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert John Burke and Eli Marienthal

First Love, Last Rites has the components of a hit art film — moody cinematography and haunting symbolism. But it lacks the elements that are even more intrinsic to the genre: multi-layered drama and a linear plot. Set in Louisiana, the film follows Sissel (Gregson Wagner) and Brooklyn-bred Joey (Ribisi), two young lovers who discover themselves sexually but never truly connect. Joey works with Sissel's father trapping eels and Sissel spends her days doing mundane factory work. Lemonheads bassist Peretz makes his feature debut with the languid film.